


a mother's love

by rxginamills



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Gen, Season 4 AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-18
Updated: 2018-04-18
Packaged: 2019-04-24 16:57:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,176
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14359698
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rxginamills/pseuds/rxginamills
Summary: Emma has an argument with Snow and goes to face Ingrid alone. When her mission fails, she realizes how much she actually needs her mother.





	a mother's love

"I'm going alone, mom."

"Are you crazy?"

"Possibly."

"Emma!"

Emma wants to go and face Ingrid the Snow Queen alone. It's her plan. She believes that her magic can defeat Ingrid and help the people of Storybrooke.

Snow, her mother, is not so sure. She doesn't want to let her daughter out there alone! Ingrid has far more powerful magic than Emma does, but Emma seems to be confident that she can handle herself.

"Absolutely not! You are not going to do that alone! She'll kill you!" Snow exclaims. David and Killian watch worriedly from the side. Killian trusts Emma 100%, he believes in her. David doesn't quite know how to feel.

"I can defend myself, mom! You've seen my magic!" Emma insists.

"Emma, please...at least let me come with you!" Snow pleads.

"No," Emma says sternly, "I can't put you in danger like that."

"But you're just fine with putting yourself in danger? Emma, you're my daughter, if something happens to you I'll never be able to forgive myself!"

Emma knows Snow wants the best for her, she is her mother after all, but Emma believes, with all her heart, that she can take down Ingrid. She doesn't want to risk any more lives than her own.

"Snow...I think our daughter knows what she's doing," David joins the conversation.

"David!"

"Thank you!"

Emma and Snow are facing each other angrily. They've argued before and this is one of their worst arguments. Snow has a feeling that she knows how this is going to end, and she doesn't want it to go that way.

"Emma, I am your mother. Listen to me," Snow orders. Emma laughs.

"You're trying so hard to be the perfect mother figure! Where the hell were you when I was an infant? I didn't know how to care for myself, I was found from the side of a freaking road! Why? Because you left me!" she yells with tears appearing in her eyes.

"We've had this conversation before, Emma! We did it to give you a chance!" Snow shouts. She hates to raise her voice at her daughter like that.

"So why can't you do that now? Let me go after Ingrid or I'll force you," Emma's tone of voice is so threatening that Snow is surprised.

"Emma..."

"Stop," Emma snaps, "You are not going to stop me. I'm doing this for you, for our family. Killian is fine with me going."

"Are you now?" Snow turns to stare at Killian, who sinks into his seat in pretended fear. You don't mess with your girlfriend's mother, do you?

"I'm leaving," Emma looks at Snow darkly and grabs her jacket.

"Emma — " Snow grabs her arm as she's heading out of the door.

"Don't touch me," Emma snarls, causing Snow to let go of her arm. Her daughter leaves the house without saying another word. Snow is speechless. She falls backwards in shock just slightly but David grabs her into his arms.

"David...our daughter...what did I do?" she whispers.

"She'll be back. You just have to trust her. Emma will forgive you." David tries to comfort Snow. He kisses her head.

"I'm not so sure about that..."

Out in the streets of Storybrooke, Emma is heading to the forest to find Ingrid. Truth be told, she doesn't actually know where the Snow Queen is, but she does know that she desires Emma as a sister. All Emma has to do is lure her out of her hiding place and she can defeat her.

"Ingrid!" Emma yells as she arrives to the forest, "Ingrid, come out!"

Nothing happens. The forest is silent. Emma is uneasy, she knows Ingrid is close but is not showing herself.

"Ingrid!"

"Emma," Ingrid breathes as she comes out of her hiding place. Emma notices her and lifts her hands immediately.

"Have you come to join me? I waited for your arrival," Ingrid smiles.

"No, I'm not here to join you. I'm here to defeat you!" Emma exclaims and hits a burst of white light at Ingrid. She avoids Emma's attack by simply stepping to the side. She laughs softly.

"Emma, dear, you can't defeat me. But you can become my sister," she opens her arms as if to take Emma into an embrace.

"I will never be your sister, neither will Elsa!" Emma yells and hits at Ingrid again. This time the Snow Queen hits back. A ball of ice hits Emma's chest and she flies backwards with a groan.

"Getting tired, are we, Emma?" Ingrid teases her. She gets up from the ground.

"I'm only warming up," Emma growls and sends a bigger burst of light hurling towards Ingrid. It's going much faster now and Ingrid actually takes the hit.

"See? I can defeat you," Emma breathes as it looks like Ingrid is struggling to get up into a good position after Emma hit her. Then suddenly she rises and Emma's magic comes flying back at her, pushing her on the ground again.

"I'll say it again, Emma, you cannot defeat me. It doesn't have to be this way, we don't have to fight. I just want to be your sister — "

"No! No! Never!" Emma screams desperately and throws multiple balls of light at Ingrid. She either dodges each one or throws each one back at Emma, who seems to get hit almost every single time.

"I'm not done!" Emma's voice is hoarse and tears are in her eyes.

"I think you are," Ingrid says. She gives Emma the smallest devious smile and begins to walk away. Emma tries to hit Ingrid one more time but just falls on the ground weakly. Just then Ingrid stops walking.

"I was going to leave you here but suddenly I have a much better idea," she smirks and poofs herself and Emma to a different spot in the forest.

And in seconds, Emma finds herself from the bottom of a well. She's seen this well before, it's the one she climbed out of when she returned from the Enchanted Forest.

"What are you doing?" Emma asks in slight panic.

"See for yourself. It's a shame we couldn't be a family. But I still have Elsa. Goodbye Emma," Ingrid walks away casually. Emma hears a small bubbling sound and looks down. The well is filling with water — and she's cuffed from her feet.

Ingrid means to kill her.

"Oh no...no no no, this is bad..." Emma breathes. She feels the panic rising quickly. Then she tries to simply poof herself away with her magic.

It doesn't work.

The cuffs have a spell on them that's preventing Emma from using magic. No one is around to help her, she's alone in the middle of a forest...she could potentially die here. Emma thinks about her family. Her father who's always looking out for her, her newborn little brother whose name she doesn't even know, her son Henry who's grown up to be so incredible, her boyfriend Killian who she loves...and her mother. The last time Emma saw her mother, they fought. Emma will die knowing that she hurt her mother and she never got to apologize.

She was wrong and Snow was right. Emma couldn't defeat Ingrid and now she is paying with her life. She never should've gone to Ingrid, or at least not alone. But it's too late now.

Emma starts to cry. Her tears drop into the water that's rising all the time. To be completely honest, Emma is scared. She now realizes how much she does need her mother.

"Mom..." Emma whines, "Mom, I'm sorry..."

Emma weeps for her mother in a child-like way. As if it helps at all. The water is at her knees now.

"I need you mom, I'm scared..." Emma closes her eyes, knowing that she won't get any help.

Or will she?

Unknown to Emma, the power of love in her cries is fighting against the spell of the cuffs. A white light appears unnoticed to her in the bottom of the well. The same kind of light appears in the Charming living room. Snow, David and the others now see Emma and hear her cries.

"Mom, I love you. I'm sorry..." Emma is crying.

"David, that's Emma!" Snow exclaims in panic.

"What's happening to her?" Killian asks in fear. He immediately regrets his desicion to let Emma go on her own.

"It looks like she's drowning!" David yells.

"What is she saying?" Snow asks hoarsely. They all listen in silence.

"Mom,"

"Oh, she's saying 'mom'! David, we need to save our daughter," Snow's voice starts to shake and she is also close to crying. She, David and Killian run out of the door, leaving Henry to watch over Neal.

Back at the well, Emma's weeps are quiet. Now the water is to her neck. She's so scared. Any second she'll have trouble breathing.

Suddenly the water rushes over Emma's head. She starts to hold her breath but knows she can't do that for long.

_I love you mom, I love you dad, I love you baby brother, I love you Henry, I love you Killian..._

Emma's vision starts to blur. Darkness is taking over. She falls unconscious.

In the forest, rushing towards the well are Snow, David, Killian and Blue. They brought the fairy for reinforcements in case something magical is trapping Emma in the well. And indeed it is. The cuffs.

"EMMA!" Snow yells in tears as she runs to the well. She sees her limp daughter down in there and starts to panic.

"We have to help her! Blue, can you do anything?" David asks.

"I think I can free her from the cuffs. I can try," Blue says and comes closer. She points her wand at Emma's cuffs and a burst of light, so similiar to Emma's magic, cuts the cuffs.

"She's almost free!" Blue exclaims and shoots at the cuffs again. They break and Emma is now free. Blue uses her magic to lift Emma from the well. As she reaches the top, Snow and David rush to her and drag her into their arms.

"Emma! Oh my god!" Snow exclaims. She places Emma's head on her lap, completely disregarding the fact that her clothes will get wet. Only her daughter matters.

David hurries to give Emma CPR to save her life. Emma is cold and her skin has a blue-ish tint to it. Blue and Killian watch worriedly from the side.

"She's not waking up," David panics. Snow is crying now.

"Emma...my baby, I'm so sorry, we shouldn't have fought, I should've come with you. Come back to me baby, I need you..." she presses a kiss on Emma's forehead.

"David, try again," Killian urges David to try CPR once more. He's concerned. Killian loves Emma, he doesn't want to lose her. He trusted her on her mission but he agrees that there are things even Emma needs help with. He didn't know, though, that this would be one of them.

"It's not working!" David exclaims frustratedly.

"Let me try," Blue says softly. David moves to give her some space. Blue waves her wand over Emma's body. She glows for a moment before the light fades. Emma is still.

And then she starts to cough. Blue and Snow gasp in relief. Killian grins widely.

"What the...?" Emma coughs, "M-mom?"

"I'm here, Emma...don't stress yourself," Snow cries some more. But now it's tears of joy. She didn't lose her daughter.

"Dad?" Emma's voice is raspy from coughing. David smiles with tears in his eyes.

"Hi, Swan," Killian comes closer and smiles. Emma's eyes land on him and Blue.

"K-Killian," she breathes and coughs a bit, "Blue..."

"I'm glad you're alright, Emma," Blue smiles warmly.

"She saved your life. She's the reason why you're alive," David explains. Emma smiles weakly.

"Thank y-you so much..." she whispers, "Mom, I'm — "

"You're sorry, I know, I am too. Right now all I care about is getting my daughter home under warm blankets with a cup of tea." Snow takes Emma's hand. Killian and David help Emma up from the ground and get her home. After she indeed is tucked under blankets with a cup of hot tea in her hands, Snow goes to her. She knows they still have to talk alone.

"So, Emma..."

"I don't really care."

Snow's eyes widen, "What? I'm confused."

"I don't care about your apologies or your speeches. Everything is forgiven. Why? Because this time you didn't leave me," Emma smiles and feels tears appearing in her eyes again. She doesn't want to cry so she holds them back.

"I don't know what I would've done if I had lost you. Emma, you're my world. I love you," Snow says.

"I love you too, mom," Emma answers. Snow smiles and leans over to kiss Emma's forehead.

"Now finish up that tea and get some sleep. You need it," she smirks, brushing a few locks of Emma's golden hair behind her ear. Emma chuckles.

"Yes, mom. It's nice to have you back."

**Author's Note:**

> Because let's face it, we needed more mother / daughter moments.


End file.
